Ray Stern - is an award-winning journalist who's worked for the past five years as a staff writer, blogger and investigative reporter for the alternative news weekly, Phoenix New Times. He covers a wide range of topics including politics and government, criminal justice, immigration, business and local personalities, always preferring angles or details that would never show up in someone's press release. Before arriving at New Times, Stern worked for ten years as a reporter and assistant city editor for the former East Valley and Scottsdale Tribune newspapers. Whether reporting from Central Avenue or central Mexico, Stern enjoys writing about the Arizona issues that matter most to people. He lives in Tempe with his wife and two children.